cozyta/iStock via Getty Images Master Limited Partnerships in the energy midstream sector have long appealed to income investors because of their ability to generate steady, fee-based cash flows from transporting oil and gas. Unlike upstream producers, pipeline operators are largely insulated from commodity price volatility, relying instead on contracted volumes and long-lived infrastructure asset...
cozyta/iStock via Getty Images Master Limited Partnerships in the energy midstream sector have long appealed to income investors because of their ability to generate steady, fee-based cash flows from transporting oil and gas. Unlike upstream producers, pipeline operators are largely insulated from commodity price volatility, relying instead on contracted volumes and long-lived infrastructure assets. That stability has historically supported elevated distributions relative to many other income vehicles.¹ In recent years, the financial profile of the midstream sector has improved meaningfully. Balance sheets have strengthened, leverage has declined, and distribution coverage has become more conservative. These changes have helped make payouts more durable than they were during prior energy cycles. Still, MLPs remain equity securities. Their distributions are not contractual obligations and can be adjusted if business conditions deteriorate. Unit prices also fluctuate with broader equity markets and shifts in energy sentiment. The distinguishing advantage of MLPs is flexibility. As infrastructure utilization rises and cash flows expand, distributions can grow over time. That growth potential differentiates midstream assets from fixed-income securities, whose payments are static by design.² For investors willing to tolerate equity risk, MLPs offer a combination of income and long-term cash-flow participation that traditional bonds cannot replicate. Preferred Stocks and Bonds: Stability With Trade-Offs Preferred stocks occupy a middle ground between bonds and common equity. They typically pay fixed dividends and rank above common shares in the capital structure but below bonds. Recent interest rate volatility pushed preferred prices lower, lifting yields across much of the market. That higher income comes with limitations. Preferred dividends can be suspended without triggering default, and holders have limited upside and no voting rights.³ REIT preferreds add another la...
Theeraphat Uamduang/iStock via Getty Images How Has VHUB Stock Fared? Venhub Global, Inc. ( VHUB ), a micro-cap stock (current market cap of $200M) that made its debut on the markets through a direct listing (rather than a traditional IPO) late last month, has found the going tough as a publicly listed firm (the lack of underwriting support through the direct listing route hasn’t helped either). T...
Theeraphat Uamduang/iStock via Getty Images How Has VHUB Stock Fared? Venhub Global, Inc. ( VHUB ), a micro-cap stock (current market cap of $200M) that made its debut on the markets through a direct listing (rather than a traditional IPO) late last month, has found the going tough as a publicly listed firm (the lack of underwriting support through the direct listing route hasn’t helped either). These are early days, of course, but since VHUB got listed, the stock is down by over 60%, even as its peers from the micro-cap universe have remained roughly flat. YCharts Note that the direct listing wasn’t VHUB's initial plan of choice; rather, in late 2024, they had announced a business combination agreement with a SPAC company – Target Global Acquisition I Corp , at an implied EV [enterprise value] of $715M. They then abandoned this plan around five months later and decided to make an official announcement on their renewed direct listing stance by July 2025 , with the intention to begin trading by at least October 2025. VHUB didn’t quite live up to that timeline, but they are finally here, and boy, has it been a rough start! So, should prospective investors continue to shun this stock, or are there mitigating reasons to hope for a turnaround in the future? What Does VenHub Global Do? Venhub Global, which is based in Pasadena, California, and also has production centers in Las Vegas and Bell Gardens, California, is attempting to be a flagbearer for the theme of “smart retail,” which, one could argue, hasn’t quite gotten going in the way smartphones, smart homes, or smart cars have. Venhub Global’s intention is to employ AI and robotics technology to craft smart stores (key items sold here include packaged food and beverages, health and beauty products, household essentials, electronic goods, specialty branded items, and alcohol) that could disrupt the traditional brick-and-mortar convenience store model. S-1 These smart stores, which typically look like a shipping contai...
The post Best M1 Finance Alternatives in February 2026 by Joshua Enomoto appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. An increasingly popular brokerage service, M1 Finance falls under a category known as robo-advisors . Essentially, robo-advisors use algorithms to help guide your platform to profitability. This facilitates the core advantage of hands-free invest...
The post Best M1 Finance Alternatives in February 2026 by Joshua Enomoto appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. An increasingly popular brokerage service, M1 Finance falls under a category known as robo-advisors . Essentially, robo-advisors use algorithms to help guide your platform to profitability. This facilitates the core advantage of hands-free investing, allowing you to live your life while advanced computer technology does the busy work of portfolio management. On the surface, M1 Finance appears the most appropriate for beginner investors. Indeed, many new to Wall Street elect M1 for its fuss-free approach. However, even advanced traders could choose to allocate funds in an M1 account. Because an algorithm pulls the weight, you eliminate emotions and personal biases from your decisions. Interested in a different robo-advisor? Take a look at our list of M1 Finance alternatives. Quick Look at the Top Alternatives to MF Finance: Best for no commissions: Moomoo Best for accessibility: E*TRADE Best for satisfaction: Robinhood Best for cryptocurrencies: Webull Table of contents [ Show ] Quick Look at the Top Alternatives to MF Finance: 4 Best Alternatives to M1 Finance 1. Best for No Commissions: Moomoo 2. Best for Accessibility: E*TRADE 3. Best for Satisfaction: Robinhood 4. Best for Cryptocurrencies: Webull What is M1 Finance? Why M1 Finance Might Not be Right for You M1 Fits With Your Trading Tools Frequently Asked Questions 4 Best Alternatives to M1 Finance For those who are seeking a hands-free approach to their investment strategies, you will find it difficult to top M1 Finance. With its unique take of pie investing, you are able to remove the intimidation factor from the capital markets. As well, you have the confidence of investing alongside 80 Wall Street expert portfolios. The drawback, however, is that M1 Finance doesn’t provide as comprehensive of a platform as its rival brokerages. Also, you may prefer greater ...
The global clinical communication and collaboration market is set to reach $5.31 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 13.02%. This growth is fueled by the increasing need for real-time communication, care coordination, and workflow efficiency in healthcare. A surge in mobile, cloud-based platform adoption and a shift to integrated, secure communication drives this expansion. Case studies from Str...
The global clinical communication and collaboration market is set to reach $5.31 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 13.02%. This growth is fueled by the increasing need for real-time communication, care coordination, and workflow efficiency in healthcare. A surge in mobile, cloud-based platform adoption and a shift to integrated, secure communication drives this expansion. Case studies from Stryker, Imprivata, and Ascom reveal notable improvements in staff responsiveness, patient admission ti
Big investment in coaches and kit – £5.8m in the last cycle – has paid off despite lack of facilities and snow at home According to UK Sport, 3,500 people have signed up to audition for their skeleton Talent ID programme in the past three days, an extraordinary surge of interest in what has never been what you might call the most accessible sport. It is all after Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker won...
Big investment in coaches and kit – £5.8m in the last cycle – has paid off despite lack of facilities and snow at home According to UK Sport, 3,500 people have signed up to audition for their skeleton Talent ID programme in the past three days, an extraordinary surge of interest in what has never been what you might call the most accessible sport. It is all after Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker won Great Britain’s 10th and 11th Olympic medals in the sport, continuing a lineage that reaches back to 1928, when it was the winter sport of choice for the most reckless of a set of aristocratic adventurers. The 11th Earl of Northesk won bronze ahead of his teammate, and the pre-race favourite, Lord Brabazon of Tara. It is some legacy. After a century of competition, skeleton is the only Winter Olympic sport in which Britain lead the all-time medal table. Continue reading...
Anxiety about AI displacing businesses has rattled markets, shaking industries from software and wealth management to logistics. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Bloxham joins Vonnie Quinn and Norah Mulinda to discuss what to expect going forward. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets." (Source: Bloomberg)
Anxiety about AI displacing businesses has rattled markets, shaking industries from software and wealth management to logistics. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Bloxham joins Vonnie Quinn and Norah Mulinda to discuss what to expect going forward. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets." (Source: Bloomberg)
Visitors have started filling campsites along the seashore in Sai Kung near Hong Kong’s famed MacLehose Trail for the Lunar New Year break, with officers patrolling to monitor and prevent littering following previous complaints. At Sai Wan Beach, a picturesque spot popular with tourists on mainland Chinese social media, around two dozen visitors were seen camping and swimming on Monday. Among the ...
Visitors have started filling campsites along the seashore in Sai Kung near Hong Kong’s famed MacLehose Trail for the Lunar New Year break, with officers patrolling to monitor and prevent littering following previous complaints. At Sai Wan Beach, a picturesque spot popular with tourists on mainland Chinese social media, around two dozen visitors were seen camping and swimming on Monday. Among the campers were Jiang Li, 24, and Wu Handeng, 23, from Guangdong province, who had pitched their yellow...
A defamation case by Malaysia’s telecoms regulator against an Australian resident in Thailand was formally withdrawn from a Thai court on Monday after mediation, the sued man and his lawyer said. The case has caused concern among free speech advocates because it was seen as a form of cross-border repression. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, or MCMC, had already acknowledged ...
A defamation case by Malaysia’s telecoms regulator against an Australian resident in Thailand was formally withdrawn from a Thai court on Monday after mediation, the sued man and his lawyer said. The case has caused concern among free speech advocates because it was seen as a form of cross-border repression. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, or MCMC, had already acknowledged in a statement earlier this month that it had reached a settlement agreement on January 12, which...
In an age in which every gripe is highlighted and performative fury is good business, there is an argument that long-termism has become impossible Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here Last week, Thomas Frank was sacked as manager of Tottenham and Sean Dyche was sacked as manager of Nottingham Forest . Both decisions were entirely explicable in their own terms. Frank had won only two of his...
In an age in which every gripe is highlighted and performative fury is good business, there is an argument that long-termism has become impossible Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here Last week, Thomas Frank was sacked as manager of Tottenham and Sean Dyche was sacked as manager of Nottingham Forest . Both decisions were entirely explicable in their own terms. Frank had won only two of his previous 17 league games and Dyche only two of his previous 10. Both saw the improvement of West Ham under Nuno Espírito Santo and felt the drag of potential relegation. When fear sets in and something has to change, football tends to sacrifice the manager. Excluding caretakers and interims, their departures take the number of Premier League managers to leave their jobs this season to eight, with Oliver Glasner to come at the end of the season, when Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola are also out of contract. Last season there were 10 departures, in 2023-24 nine, in 2022-23 an absurd 18. To give a little context, in the first season of the Premier League, 1992-93, there were only four changes (five if you include Dave Webb at Chelsea, who was effectively an interim, although he did not officially have that title). The average life span of a Premier League manager has dropped from about four seasons to about a season and a half. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com , and he’ll answer the best in a future edition. Continue reading...
Electricite de France SA said growing solar and wind generation was increasing equipment wear and maintenance costs at its nuclear reactors, which are forced to reduce output when power demand is insufficient. The warning, contained in a 60-page report published Monday, highlights the growing challenges nuclear plant operators face in coping with subsidized renewable energy flooding grids across W...
Electricite de France SA said growing solar and wind generation was increasing equipment wear and maintenance costs at its nuclear reactors, which are forced to reduce output when power demand is insufficient. The warning, contained in a 60-page report published Monday, highlights the growing challenges nuclear plant operators face in coping with subsidized renewable energy flooding grids across Western Europe, while electricity demand remains below pre-pandemic levels. “The increased flexibility required of EDF’s generation assets is notably leading to higher maintenance costs for all these facilities,” the French utility said. That was “mainly the result of the expansion of renewable generation sources - solar and wind - in France and across Europe, against a backdrop of stagnant electricity consumption.” The report echoes findings by grid operator RTE in December that France will face an electricity glut for years, leading to increased curtailment of nuclear and renewable generation. As a result, the government last week scaled back targets for solar and wind capacity, and pledged to draft a plan to boost demand for electric cars, industrial furnaces, heat pumps, and data centers. Read more: France Cuts Renewable Growth Plans, Still Angers Le Pen (1) While the power glut is pushing prices lower, which is good news for users, it’s complicating EDF’s efforts to finance plans for six new reactors to replace some the country’s aging units. A weak growth in demand may eventually create a €15-billion ($17.8 billion) shortfall in annual revenues of generators that don’t benefit from public support, RTE said in its December report . The volume of nuclear modulation — when a reactor reduces output or halts because of excess supply, to save fuel, or to help stabilize grid frequency — has roughly doubled since 2019 to 33 terawatt-hours in 2025, largely due to solar capacity additions. That compares with total nuclear generation of 373 terawatt-hours last year, and curtailme...
Offsetting Charli xcx, Chaney’s take on 19th-century ballad Dark Eyed Sailor accompanies Margot Robbie on the moors – but it’s just a tiny part of her culture-crossing, history-vaulting musical catalogue An hour into Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights , Margot Robbie is in a gauzy wedding dress, gliding forlornly across the moors towards the man her character feels she has to marry. A lone female...
Offsetting Charli xcx, Chaney’s take on 19th-century ballad Dark Eyed Sailor accompanies Margot Robbie on the moors – but it’s just a tiny part of her culture-crossing, history-vaulting musical catalogue An hour into Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights , Margot Robbie is in a gauzy wedding dress, gliding forlornly across the moors towards the man her character feels she has to marry. A lone female English voice appears to accompany her, high and pure against the buzzing drone of a harmonium, singing about a woman roaming alone, and a man who, for “seven years, left the land”, before his eventual return. Long before Emerald Fennell found Olivia Chaney’s version of 19th-century ballad the Dark Eyed Sailor online, Chaney was preparing to sing it for a 2013 live session on Mark Radcliffe’s BBC Radio 2 folk show, in the midst of her own Brontë-esque love triangle. “I was at the beginning of my relationship with the man who is now my husband and the father of my two children – he nearly married someone else, and I nearly had kids with someone else.” Continue reading...
He left school at 15 and worked as a scaffolder. Then success on New Faces launched him to stardom – and he’s been a panto and musicals sensation ever since. So what made him write a comedy about two men waiting? Gary Wilmot has had many lives. A children’s TV presenter turned variety show host turned panto marvel turned musicals sensation, Wilmot has now turned his hand back to playwriting. His L...
He left school at 15 and worked as a scaffolder. Then success on New Faces launched him to stardom – and he’s been a panto and musicals sensation ever since. So what made him write a comedy about two men waiting? Gary Wilmot has had many lives. A children’s TV presenter turned variety show host turned panto marvel turned musicals sensation, Wilmot has now turned his hand back to playwriting. His London debut is a comedy about two men, waiting. One is chill, the other restless; both become bonded by the wait. Very Samuel Beckett, isn’t it? The men could be Vladimir and Estragon, no? “Funny you should say that,” Wilmot says, sitting at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, the theatre above a pub in London that is staging While They Were Waiting, in which he also stars, opposite Steve Furst. Soon after the play was commissioned, he was asked if he had been influenced by Beckett’s existential play, Waiting for Godot. He’d never seen it but it just so happened there was a production in the West End starring Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati. Wilmot went, saw it and left nonplussed. “I thought, ‘There’s a reason I’ve never seen this. I haven’t got a clue what’s going on.’” Continue reading...
Move could mean fewer free exhibitions and paid-for shows and more expensive tickets The National Gallery is to make significant cuts in the face of an £8.2m deficit in the coming year, which could mean fewer free exhibitions and ticketed shows, less international borrowing of artworks and more expensive tickets. As a result of considerably increased running costs and stagnant income, the gallery ...
Move could mean fewer free exhibitions and paid-for shows and more expensive tickets The National Gallery is to make significant cuts in the face of an £8.2m deficit in the coming year, which could mean fewer free exhibitions and ticketed shows, less international borrowing of artworks and more expensive tickets. As a result of considerably increased running costs and stagnant income, the gallery has said it will be looking spending cuts in areas “such as public programmes, and activities where, for a number of reasons beyond our control, we can no longer justify their costs”. Continue reading...
Andrii Dodonov/iStock via Getty Images Introduction OFS Credit ( OCCI ) is an externally managed closed-end fund, focusing on CLO equity and debt. While the CEF does contain some CLO debt, the very vast majority of the assets consists of CLO equity , as OFS Credit focuses on the higher-yielding securities. The weighted average effective yield of the investments was approximately 13%. Data by YChar...
Andrii Dodonov/iStock via Getty Images Introduction OFS Credit ( OCCI ) is an externally managed closed-end fund, focusing on CLO equity and debt. While the CEF does contain some CLO debt, the very vast majority of the assets consists of CLO equity , as OFS Credit focuses on the higher-yielding securities. The weighted average effective yield of the investments was approximately 13%. Data by YCharts A look at the full-year results During its financial year, OFS Credit had to navigate a tougher credit environment as Morningstar reported the total default rates doubled from 0.73% to 1.46%, backing off from a multi-year high at 1.50% at the end of the third quarter in the calendar year 2025. Meanwhile, the CLO market is still booming as the total amount of private credit offerings increased by a high single digit percentage during the year. Looking at the FY 2025 results, we see OFS reported an interest income of $44.2M, while the total amount of operating expenses came in at almost $22M. Approximately 1/3 rd of the total operating expenses are related to the interest expenses, with the combination of incentive fees and base management fees making up about half of the expenses. OCCI Investor Relations This resulted in a net investment income of $22.6M, and divided over the weighted average share count throughout the year, this represented a NII/share of around 88 cents. A good result, but the statement of operations also shows there was a $3.6M realized loss, while the total fair value of its portfolio decreased by almost $29M. As OFS Credit is a ‘serial ATM issuer,’ its share count continued to increase throughout the year. At the end of October, OFS had just over 28M shares outstanding, resulting in a NAV/share of $5.46. That's, of course, almost four months ago, and in a more recent update, OFS Credit has disclosed the current NAV/share is approximately $4.31-4.41 . At the end of October, the balance sheet contained $271M in assets, backed by $114M in preferred stoc...